Ghost Factories: Poison in the Ground. Read the full series and watch videos at ghostfactories.usatoday.com / USA TODAY

by USA TODAY, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY, USA TODAY

A USA TODAY investigation of health dangers posed by hundreds of forgotten lead factory sites across the country is among seven winners of a national journalism prize that honors investigative reporting that serves the common good, the Sidney Hillman Foundation announced Tuesday.

In awarding the newspaper's multimedia "Ghost Factories" probe a Hillman Prize for Web journalism, the judges said the investigation "combines journalistic rigor, technical innovation, a humane sensibility, and an implacable drive for accountability."

The series, by reporters Alison Young and Peter Eisler, has resulted in the Environmental Protection Agency re-examining more than 400 sites nationwide; several neighborhoods are already receiving cleanups of soil that is dangerously contaminated with lead.

The Hillman Foundation said "Ghost Factories" "stood out in the Web Journalism category because the investigation was reported and written as a digital-first project, harnessing the storytelling power of the newspaper's online platforms. These journalists made effective use of a wide range of innovative reporting and storytelling techniques - combining the research of archival maps, photographs and dusty old records with the use of state-of-the-art scientific instruments and digital publishing technology."

Other winners include investigations of flame-retardant chemicals by the Chicago Tribune and of workplace dangers in Bangladesh by ABC News. The full list of winners is available on the Hillman Foundation's website.